New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (hip) is available to play in Monday’s interconference battle against the Phoenix Suns. The fifth-year player is listed as questionable on the injury report. Brunson missed the last three games due to a sore right hip.
Through 34 starts with New York, the guard is averaging career highs of 20.2 points, 6.6 assists, and 1.1 steals per game. In addition to logging 3.2 rebounds per game, Brunson is shooting 46% from the field and 36.6% outside the arc. His usage percentage is also a career-best 25.8%.
Referring to a couple of NBA betting sites, the Knicks have the 11th-lowest odds to win the championship. Per a few sportsbooks, the Atlanta Hawks and Miami Heat possess greater odds of qualifying for the postseason.
Jalen Brunson, who missed the last three games with a sore hip, is AVAILABLE to play for the Knicks today against the Suns, according to a source.
— Stefan Bondy (@SBondyNYDN) January 2, 2023
In New York’s 108-88 win over the Houston Rockets on New Year’s Eve, Julius Randle scored a team-high 35 points in 39 minutes of action. He finished 9-of-20 (45%) shooting from the field and 5-of-13 (38.5%) from 3-point range.
This win snapped the Knicks’ five-game losing streak. Now, they’re 5-5 in their last 10 games. The Knicks are 19-18 and rank eighth overall in the Eastern Conference standings.
Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (hip) available to play against Suns in Monday afternoon’s matchup
“It’s the nature of the league,” Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said after the win. “You win eight in a row and then you have some tough losses… That’s part of it. How do you respond to it? We took a haymaker, and we bounced back.
“I thought our ball pressure was a lot better which led to turnovers that got us in the open floor. Guys played very hard and very unselfishly.”
Here’s Jalen Brunson with Knicks head athletic trainer Anthony Goenaga, presumably testing his hip ahead of this afternoon’s Knicks-Suns game: https://t.co/ODnbx9F6Yi pic.twitter.com/LX7SltqZiG
— Ian Begley (@IanBegley) January 2, 2023
On Nov. 21, in the Knicks’ 129-119 win versus the Oklahoma City Thunder, Brunson tied his career high in scoring with 34 points in 35 minutes played. Along with amassing nine assists and one steal, the guard shot 14-of-20 (70%) from the floor and knocked down a 3-pointer.
If Brunson plays against the Suns, sportsbooks will increase the spread. At the moment, New York is a 2.5-point favorite at home over Phoenix. It sounds like this will be a game-time decision.
